Friend In Need
by SilkenDreamer
Summary: Red has a rather…delicate problem and knows of only one man in Storybrooke who can help. Jiminy thought there was nothing he wouldn't do for his friends but will he be able to help this friend in her need? Mentions of Rumbelle and Snowing. Rated for naughtiness.
1. A Friend Indeed

A/N: Hello, and welcome to my first ever attempt at writing smut. I welcome _constructive_ criticism as I'm trying to get better at it. And I figure I will eventually stop blushing while writing if I do it often enough.

WARNING: There will be scenes of an explicit nature in this story so if that's not your cup of tea, turn back now.

"Friend In Need"

For Susie Q,,

who is always a friend indeed

Ruby Lucas stood indecisively outside his office, a brown paper bag holding blueberry muffins, his favorite, in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. They weren't really bribes. They were presents for a friend she hoped would listen. He always listened. He was the one person in town she thought might be able to help her. The situation was getting out of hand and however she had tried to deny it or ignore it, she simply couldn't any longer. She was out of options and the one road left was utter humiliation. Because the truth of the matter, the sad, ridiculous yoke of a problem hanging over her was that she was in heat.

A few days ago she had woken up feel decisively antsy and stressed. During the day it had worsened, she'd felt empty and irritated, snapping at everyone. Then during the evening, as the moon rose the pounding blood, the surging _need_ had begun to swirl through her. At first she hadn't been able to name it, the strange helplessness, the beating pulses in places a pulse had no business being and a hollow longing for…pressure was the best she could term it. Then she'd realized she recognized the feeling, and she would have earlier if it hadn't been so intensified. She was turned on. To her eternal embarrassment it didn't subside. After a night of tossing and turning it had if anything gotten worse. Dealing with the problem on her own seemed to have little effect and as the days passed she was getting desperate.

What on earth was she supposed to do? Ruby Lucas could have easily latched on to some good-for-nothing hot guy and kept him in bed for a day or two, but Red didn't have the same option. Her standards were higher; she wouldn't just pick anyone off the street. Which in her current situation started to seem like a pity.

This was why she was indecisively standing outside her friend Archie Hopper's – or Jiminy Cricket's – office, desperately clutching a bag of muffins.

She couldn't even talk to her best friend about it. Snow was back at home, along with Emma, not her fault but Ruby desperately needed someone to talk to. Her grandmother, who had been a wolf herself was probably the best option but Ruby just couldn't bring herself to raise this particular topic with Mrs. Lucas. For the millionth time she wished she had had more time with her mother. Instead she had ended up seeking the advice, not of a person, but of objectivity. She'd gone to the library and found a book.

What she had found had not improved her mood. If her system worked as a wolf female's she had four to seven days of suffering ahead of her, with both a leading up to and cooling down period before and after, and this happened once a year, in the winter. Not mating seemed to lead to excessive aggressiveness and strange behavior. Ruby laid her head on the table, on the verge of either hysterical laughter or demented sobbing when the librarian appeared. Belle was dressed neatly as usual with mile high-heeled shoes clashing with the rest of her demure appearance.

"Ruby, is something wrong?"

"Er, no. Not at all. Just reading some. I was just about to go, so I should-" Ruby got up and immediately regretted it as she could no longer cover the title of the page she had been reading. "Mating Habits in the Wolf Female" stood out starkly and with a thud she slammed the book shut, feeling her cheeks grow as red as her famous cloak.

"Ruby, if something's wrong I hope you consider me a good enough friend to tell me?" Her voice was just so gentle and her eyes so damn understanding. She could see why Rumplestiltskin had fallen for her. She seemed able to forgive anything. Why she had fallen for him was an entirely different matter, a true mystery. At her wits end Ruby had ended up telling the other woman about her problem. Belle hadn't laughed or gotten uncomfortable, she had simply focused on finding a solution.

"So there's no one you're in love with?" Ruby thought of Peter. He had been her first love but lately she had begun to doubt he had been her True Love. When she saw how Snow looked at James or Belle at Rumpelstiltskin she knew her feelings for Peter and his for her had fallen short. It had been a sweet, tender teenage romance but he had not been the love of her life. In a way she would always love him in the way of a teenage girl would, all-consuming but superficial.

"No. As Ruby I wouldn't care but now that I have my old self back I just can't let sex be that meaningless again." It was amazing how comfortable she felt sharing with this woman even though they had only been friends for a little while.

"You might have to settle for second best still. I don't mean just anybody, but don't you have a friend you can trust? Someone you respect, trust, find attractive and who's single?" Ruby laughed,

"If I knew someone like that I'd already be all over him!"

"So you have no guy friends to turn to?" Ruby considered. She only counted one man among her real friends. The man who always listened to her, who never stared down her blouse and who was genuinely interested in what she had to say for more than the chance to get into her pants.

Archie Hopper filled all the criteria Belle had listed but Ruby could only snort with laughter at the thought. There was no way Jiminy would want her. He was the only unattached guy she had never caught staring at her butt. She had known him forever, they had been good friends back when he was a cricket, and often she had wondered what he had looked like back when he was a man. But she couldn't imagine someone like him wanting to be with her. He was sweet and gentle and he probably preferred the kind of woman who was cultured and demure, taking things slowly and romantically. Like Belle. He was no option for a quick roll in the hay. _And wasn't that what you wanted_, a voice in her head asked, _someone who'd treat you with respect and would still like you afterwards_?

"Just one. He wouldn't want me."

"How do you know?"

"I'm just not his type." She opened the book again at a random page.

"If you say so, but I can't imagine a man who'd tell _you_ no."

"I don't think he could ever see me that way." She fiddled with the corner of the page.

"Is he gay?"

"No…I don't know." Archie, gay? The thought seemed strange. But he had never once let his gaze linger anywhere but her face. _Or maybe he just doesn't think of you that way_. Jeez. "I'm…I'm just going to go. It's just seven days. I can manage. Thanks for listening Belle."

After that she'd spent her third night barely sleeping. She was so exhausted she felt cross-eyed and the need had sharpened to a knifepoint, cutting her insides in shuddering ribbons, raw and bordering on painful. So she had gathered whatever courage she had and knocked on his door, blueberry muffins in hand, eternal embarrassment in the other.

"Ruby, how nice to see you."

"Hi, Archie. I brought muffins." She put them down and sat on his couch, flinching as she felt the fabric of her underwear rub against her heated core. Gods, now she couldn't even _sit_ like a normal person.

"What's wrong?"

"Why?" She narrowed her eyes. There was no way he could see it on her somehow?

"Your eyes. You look unhappy." Of course. That's where Jiminy would look.

"Well, I have a…problem." He just tilted his head slightly, waiting for her to continue. She tried to summon the intimacy they'd shared when he had been a cricket at the Charmings' castle, his voice in the dark as they'd talked about things she had never even brought up with Snow. Closing her eyes to try and recapture it she could almost hear the gentle flutter of his wings as he settled next to her on her pillow, his voice one of her favorite sounds in the world. "An embarrassing problem."

"Is it a health concern?" She still didn't open her eyes.

"Well, in a way. I…Here." Her courage failed her and she handed over the page from the book Belle had helped her photocopy. She heard him unfold it and wrung her hands worriedly. This was the end. He was going to ask her to go. He was going to think she was weird, or worse, gross.

"This is about wolves, Red." Seeking comfort from his use of her real name she braced herself.  
"It's about…me. I'm…I am a wolf female."

"I really don't understand what you are tying to tell me here." Ruby's eyes flew open as her precarious control snapped.

"Do I have to spell it out to you? I'm _in heat_! There I said it. Are you happy? Feel like laughing? I know I do. Seven days of this hell I have to go through and I am at the end of my tether after three. I can't stand it any longer." Her cheeks flamed and she saw his fair skin had turned an almost sickly shade of pale.

"Ah…Er…Are you trying to say you need to…" His eyes couldn't meet hers and he kept them trained on the page on his lap. "…mate?" By now Ruby was so humiliated she couldn't help the tears that started running down her cheeks.

"I don't know. I need something and I can't…can't…I need help. I need a friend." Suddenly the sickly white shade of his face was replaced with an impressive shade of red that clashed terribly with his auburn hair.

"You mean you want…me to…"

"Ruby might be able to pick anyone but I can't…do that any longer. It has to be someone I can…trust and I…You're the only man who's unattached who I do trust and…God, I wish I didn't have to ask this of you but, Jiminy I'm going insane. Please, would you at least consider…" She just saw his flaming cheeks and he refused to look her in the eye and she knew she had made a mistake. "What the hell am I even doing? Forget I said anything. Please never speak of this again." She got up and left, all the while wishing an enormous hole would open and swallow her and her giant humiliation whole.

POV

Archie felt the heat in his cheeks slowly fade and no longer thought his head would explode if he moved. The first thing he did when he regained his motor functions was pouring a large whisky. After a big gulp he sat back down and tried to sort out the masses of thoughts running through his mind.

Red had come into his office and informed him with flaming cheeks that she was _in heat_. He swallowed heavily. And that she needed someone she trusted to "help her". His hands shook as his mind conjured up a picture what his "helping" could constitute of.

_You have no business thinking of her that way_, he told himself. Ruby Lucas, as she was now known, was almost two lifetimes younger than him and so beautiful he sometimes had to look away from her face to catch his breath. She had been his friend for a long time. He'd met her as Jiminy Cricket and a curious friendship had developed between them. Though she was gorgeous, intelligent and funny she seemed to have few friends and had welcomed his company, to his great surprise. The woman with the face of a goddess and the bug with a voice had found a surprising comfort in each other and – he gulped down some more whisky, grimacing as it burned its way down his throat – the bug had loved the woman.

His wish, to escape from humanity and lead his life repaying for old sins, had suddenly seemed more like a prison than the freedom it had previously entailed. His dream had become a curse. He had no claim to a woman like Red, not a chance in hell, as man or bug, but his little heart refused to listen to reason.

Then he had become a man, but forgotten Red. But as Archie Hopper he'd stood as small a chance with Ruby Lucas, town wild-child and petulant girl-woman. Then Ruby had started to come into her own. She'd found her worth and as if a veil had been lifted from Archie's eyes he had seen the woman she could be underneath. The brave, strong woman, who until then had been hidden under a heap of insecurities. Suddenly, going to the diner was for more than food. He knew some men had stopped going as the era of tiny shorts and midriff-baring shirts was over and a Ruby who did not welcome advances had taken her place. But to Archie she had suddenly gotten irresistible. He'd started eating at Granny's at least twice a day, fully well knowing he was behaving like a lovesick teenager and that he'd probably sprout horns before Ruby saw him as anything but a friend.

Yet, going to see her face that was no longer hidden under three layers of heavy make-up and see her hair curl in the way it grew naturally he wondered if anyone really had the right to be that beautiful. Luckily, his feelings had gone unnoticed and he promised himself to never voice them, knowing it would ruin the tentative friendship growing between them.

Then the curse had lifted and Archie and Jiminy had mixed in a confusing way and he could barely tell them apart. Because they were both him, just different versions. And both of them were in love with Red.

And now you have a chance to show her, his inner voice said. A chance you'll never get again. _No_! He couldn't be what she needed. He could never do light and casual. _That's what she said too, didn't she, that she couldn't be her old self and just pick anybody_…She needs somebody to…help her…and of all people she had come to him. He wasn't sure he could betray that trust. His heart recoiled at the thought. To share an intimate moment with Ruby, there would be no going back from that. He would be lost forever. And in a week when this…condition passed she'd be back to normal and wanting to be his friend.

_But if you don't_, the voice he imagined belonged to the little devil on his shoulder, _someone else will. Maybe someone who deserves her even less will put his hands on her and she'll_- _Stop_! A faceless man appeared in his mind, his hands on her body, his lips against hers. He couldn't take that either. With a heavy sigh he gulped down the last of the whisky and stood. He had a friend in need, his wishes had to take second place to that.

With a prayer for strength he knocked on the door of the now closed diner. In a moment Ruby's head popped up from behind the bar. Her hair was in some sort of messy bun on top of her head, her cheeks were flushed and she was wearing a stained apron – and still she looked like the most beautiful woman on earth to him. The flush on her cheeks deepened when she saw him but she put down what he thought looked like a scrub brush and came over, unlocking the door and letting him in.

"Archie." She greeted him neutrally, locking the door again before returning to her previous position. She was scrubbing the floor on her hands and knees he could see now. Like a woman possessed, she rubbed at a stubborn stain of the linoleum. The fumes rising from the bucket made his eyes water. It smelt like industrial cleaner, bleach and…vinegar.

"What _is_ that?" Ruby barely glanced up.

"Special brew of detergent," she smiled evilly as she attacked the stain with renewed fervor. Tresses of her dark hair was falling from the bun and he longed to touch one, see if they were as soft as they looked. "Need to get these stains out. Why can't it ever _stay clean_? I clean and I clean but the day after it's as bad again." He recognized classic signs of transference. One side of her life wasn't going well so she magnified a small problem in some other area and focused on it.

"Listen, Ruby…about before…" She stopped for a moment and finally met his eyes. Then she attacked the damned stain again.

"I don't know what you're talking about. All I want to talk about is how I'm going to eviscerate this stain, then I have to take the curtains out of the wash, put them in the dryer, polish the bar with that new chrome polish, iron the curtains when they're out of the dryer and then-" He crouched down, interrupting her by grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to look him in the eye.

"I was going to say that if you still want me to…I'll…help." At first he thought she was going to keep pretending they had never had their previous conversation but then she dropped the brush.

"Thank god," she managed before she grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him close, crushing her lips hurriedly against his. It was nothing like the dreams he'd had of that moment, where Ruby had looked up at him, her eyes gentle and yearning as her lips softly, slowly yielded to his. There was nothing soft or yielding about this kiss.

"Ruby, wait, we shouldn't…We can't…Not here…Not now."

"Here. Now. I need you." Hearing her spell it out pushed him past any second thoughts he might have had about the suitability of the floor behind the bar of the diner. After all, it was clean, it was here and it was now.

Her tongue met his insistently and her hands wound in his hair, pulling slightly and he groaned. The sensation was mind-blowing. Scrambling to get closer she all but climbed his lap and his hands found her trim waist, pulling her against him tightly. How could he have thought he could live happily without this? Ruby's tongue danced with his, mimicking what was to come as it plundered his mouth and he happily returned the favor, feeling satisfaction flood him as she moaned. Shifting slightly, so he could stretch his legs out and lean his back against the cupboards behind the bar holding extra glassware he accidentally bumped his hip against her core and a gasp escaped her. Had he really felt…? It seemed to push her into overdrive as her hips helplessly jerked against his in rapid little circles. Feeling her press against his erection through his trousers almost brought him over the edge and she mewled in need.

Archie thought he might have died and gone to heaven. Her small hands, usually gentle, were hurriedly fluttering over him, up and down his chest, around his neck, twining in his hair. Then they found his shirt buttons and with a…growl, she ripped the buttons open, immediately latching her lips to the side of his neck as her busy hands travelled downwards, gripping his belt, starting to work on the buckle. Archie tried to focus, working himself out of his stunned position of holding her as she basically ravished him but all coherent thought seemed to have left his head. All he could focus on was Ruby's almost painful nipping at his neck and her soft hands that kept brushing over his cock as she struggled with his belt. And most of all, his attention was focused on her center that he could feel grinding against his.

Realizing from the look on Ruby's face that her climax was imminent from just rubbing herself on his tweed-clad erection he voiced something close to a growl himself. Copying her movement from before he tugged at her white shirt and heard the buttons cheerily ping against the floor as he bared a lacy white camisole and flawless alabaster skin. Pushing it off her he was glad he was still wearing his glasses as her perfect breasts swung gently with her repeated undulations. If she hadn't been in such a hurry he could have spent a week worshipping them. As it was he could only lavish them in attention. Bending slightly he caught one of the dusky rose nipples in his mouth, sucking gently, glad to hear Ruby's breathing grow even shallower. Knowing she couldn't be far from finishing work on his belt he let his hands travel down from her waist, down her endless legs, grabbing her skirt at the hem and pushing it up to encounter sheer red lace panties. They could be the sexiest thing he had ever seen. Until he met Ruby's eyes. They were dark and wide with…wonder, arousal and expectation. And as he slid his fingers under the waistband she breathed,

"Rip them." What little control he had maintained to that point snapped and with a sharp tug the sheer fabric gave. He tossed them aside and her eyes deepened another shade. Capturing her lips again in a frenzied hurry he could feel their teeth clicking together but didn't care. All he could think about was being joined with Red, filling her, taking her. His trousers got even more restrictive and he moved his hands to join Ruby's on his belt. As he pulled on it she grabbed his free hand and with a forcefulness he didn't know she possessed she pressed it to her sex. He found her so hot, so wet already, that he knew neither of them could wait much longer. As gently as he could with desire roaring his head he slipped a finger inside her heat. Ruby moaned and thrust herself down on it.

"More," she breathed and he pushed another digit past the tight muscles, groaning as his brain transferred each clench of her inner walls from his fingers to how she would feel around his aching member. As his thumb found her sensitive bundle of nerves, rubbing rather clumsy circles over it Ruby threw her head back in a silent scream and increased her efforts, riding his hand in sharp thrusts. Again he was reminded of an ancient goddess. A beautiful, free and incredibly sexy goddess. His mouth found its way back to her nipple and he worried it between his teeth, hearing how her breathing got shallower, feeling all her muscles tightening as she sped up even more. He could see it clearly when the release washed over her, feel the spasms around his fingers and hear it best of all as Ruby let out a cry. He'd thought she'd just collapse from the strength of it but her thrusts just got erratic, then her eyes flew open and she gave him an almost feral grin.

Then their joint effort finally paid off as his belt, buttons and zipper had all been surpassed. Gently Ruby pushed his boxers down and he gasped in relief as he sprung free. Taking him in her hand, stroking him he almost came undone, her soft hands applying just the right amount of pressure. Then he thought he saw her lick her lips at the sight of it and any insecurities he'd had about Ruby's comparative experience to his flew out the window. He pulled her in for another kiss as he lifted her by the waist. Eagerly she complied and he felt her small hand guide him right before he shifted his grip, putting his hands on her hips and pushing her down.

In one smooth thrust he was buried to the hilt and she grunted at the sudden intrusion. Letting her take a moment to accommodate him his forehead came to rest on her bare shoulder. God, she felt incredible. He had some vague memories about his previous experiences, back when he was still Jiminy the thief, but they were nothing compared to how Ruby felt wrapped around him. It was just so right to be inside her, to feel her more intimately than anyone else. Then she started to move, gently at first but rapidly building up to a punishing pace. Keeping his hands on her hips for support he felt her leg muscles tremble but she seemed intent on keeping the rhythm. Her eyes were closed and her mouth formed a small "o" as she rode him, her inner walls clamping him tight enough to be almost painful. He wouldn't last long like this, but feeling her tightening he didn't think she would either. Quickly he found her clit with one hand, managing slightly more graceful ministrations as she started to pant, from arousal or exertion he wasn't sure, but probably both.

"Yes, don't stop! Just…like...that-" she ground out the words as she rode him, almost brutally. He wasn't planning on stopping anything. In fact he could probably keep doing this until the day he died. He felt his climax build, the telltale tingling in his abdomen increasing. In a flash of inspiration he pinched the sensitive bundle of nerves and bucking violently she came, her walls clamping down on him like a vice as he joined her, falling over the edge. He thought he heard someone howl, but he wasn't sure if it was him or her.

"Holy mother of fairies and her million baby dwarves." He thought he would regain his sight eventually. If not - it was no great price for what he'd just experienced. Then he realized the only problem was that his eyelids were too heavy. Maybe he'd regain enough strength soon to open them.

"Hmm," he managed, and was quite proud of it too.

"That was…incredible." He cracked open an eye to see Ruby sitting, leaning against the back of the bar. The space was small and their legs were tangled. Her hair was till partly in a messy bun but she was only wearing her skirt and her shoes. He was still wearing everything except for his shirt hanging open from loss of buttons. Chuckling weakly he shifted slightly.

"So, no complaints?" She must've heard the undertone in his joking voice, the uncertainty still rather blatant, jesting tone aside.

"Complaints? Jiminy, I just had two incredible orgasms in the space of five minutes, that's hardly reason for complaint." Shocked he glanced up at the clock. He'd only lasted _five minutes_? Granted, it had been almost a century since he'd last had sex but still…She must've seen that look too as she added, "I don't think it could have been any better than it was. I needed fast and you gave it to me. I was going insane. It's the weirdest thing…Will you promise me something, Archie?"

"What?"

"Promise me things won't be weird now?" He saw the worry in her beautiful eyes and thought he might have promised to forever hop on one leg at that moment if she'd only asked.

"I promise." His heart was bleeding, slowly emptying as he realized that for her this quick tryst behind the counter of the diner had been nothing more than the scratching of an itch. _You knew that before you came over, _the angel voice, which he coincidentally liked a lot less than the devil one, told him reasonably.

"You really are a great friend, Jiminy." _And that's all you'll ever be_…

POV

"Mind your step!" Granny snapped as Ruby almost swung her loaded tray in her grandmother's face.

"Oh, sorry, Gran. My mind was somewhere else." Somewhere else being how great sex with Archie Hopper had been. Every time she walked past the counter she kept thinking of the previous evening. It wasn't helping at all to keep remembering her own voice pant for release as she rode Archie in the very spot her Gran was now standing, hands on her hips, eyeing Ruby suspiciously.

"What is wrong with you today? Head in the clouds, bringing the wrong orders, losing things. Is something the matter?"

"No, Gran. I'm just tired. I haven't slept well." Which was true of this week but not last night, when she'd slept like a baby.

"Well, you're no use here. Why don't you go home and rest?" Her eyes softened a little. "You've been working too hard. I saw you'd washed the curtains and polished the counter last night. I don't know where you find the energy after being on your feet for an eight hour shift." Ruby almost blushed. The truth was that after they'd finished she'd felt energized, happy and easy. The work had been done in under an hour before she'd gone home to sleep like the dead.

"Thanks, Gran." Jasmine was working today anyhow and she _had_ worked late last night, even if she hadn't spent the whole time working, per se.

A/N: Please tell me what you thought to help me get better at this smut business. Also, if there is something in particular you'd like to see, let me know. The only plan so far is to write the rest of the week - what happens during it you can be part in deciding…S.D.


	2. What He Chooses

A/N: Thanks to everyone who's read so far and a special thanks (imaginary cookies?) to sunthorn for reviewing! On with the naughtiness!

Tossing her apron in the laundry basket in her room (or the pile of laundry on top of it, to be precise) she gave a great sigh before collapsing on her bed. Burying her head in her pillow she groaned. _Why_ was this still happening? She had…mated, she thought the word with distaste as it seemed to poorly describe what had passed between her and Jiminy the night before, and yet she was still...like this. Still needy, still feeling that awful, slippery emptiness, the throb of her pulse in her lower body. And just thinking about how Archie had settled those feelings yesterday made it worse. As her brain gleefully replayed how his hands had felt on her skin, how his eyes had bored into hers, how his clever fingers had…played her she felt the throbbing intensify. With a groan she pressed her thighs together, trying to smother the feeling and only succeeding in increasing the pressure.

She lasted two hours before it drove her to texting Archie.

"It" came back…Can I come over? R.

Of course, you're always welcome. A.

Standing outside his house, her heart beat heavily in her chest. It seemed to be a mix of anticipation, dread and embarrassment. At least this time she was slightly more prepared than last night. Just because she was the "instigator" it shouldn't mean she couldn't make it good for him too. And she thought was on under her coat would make it pretty good.

Knocking and stepping back, she nervously patted her hair and smoothed down her coat. Then she caught herself. This wasn't a date. You didn't go on dates with your friends who you'd roped in to sharing some benefits with. Especially not when you wore expensive lingerie, perfume and nothing else under your coat. She was being ridiculous. Then he opened any thoughts about dates left her head as he opened the door.

Had he always been this attractive? Of course she'd absentmindedly noted he was cute, she wouldn't be Red if she didn't. But now it was as if her eyes had suddenly been opened and she saw him for the first time. He had he greatest hair, soft and red, and the cutest eyes that twinkled. And a charming smile that made her stomach flip a little. He was solidly built and wore his clothes with an easy grace of someone comfortable with themselves. And she loved his hands. They were wide with long fingers and looked as if they'd belong on an artist or a violinist. And she knew they were quite skillful at other things as well. A delicious shiver chased down her spine at the thought.

"Red, come in," and his voice. She had always loved his voice, ever since she'd first heard it in a little cricket who was the conscience of a nation. It was dark and slightly raspy and she suddenly wished to hear him groan her name in desperation.

_God, what is wrong with me_? Here she stood, blatantly lusting after one of her best friends who probably saw her as a bizarre charity case he couldn't deny help out of the goodness in his heart.

"Jiminy. Thanks for…having me." She hadn't meant for it to come out suggestive but her earlier thoughts had to have colored her words as he blushed brightly.

"Of course, anytime." He stepped back to let her in, carefully locking the door. "I made some dinner, I thought we could-"

"Later," she interrupted and pounced on him. He seemed more prepared for it tonight and his arms went around her waist, pulling her closer without any hesitation. Stumbling towards what she assumed was his bedroom she succeeded to rid him of his tweed jacket and his belt, never quite stopping kissing him long enough to manage much else. Reaching the right door he nudged her inside and tripping a little she caught her balance, straightening up as her mouth fell open in shock. The room was simple enough, done in greens and browns with sturdy wooden furniture and nice watercolors. But everywhere were lit candles and from somewhere soft music was playing. The room was bathed in a gentle glow and she could smell clean sheets and warm wax. Taking advantage of her stunned position he reached around her from behind to undo the belt of her coat.

"Yesterday was how you wanted it. Today I get to choose." His breath was hot on her ear and Ruby swallowed. What he wanted? She knew it probably wasn't a _hardship_ for him to sleep with her but she'd never imagined he would actually _want_ to do this. Want to be with her. In a candlelit room and music playing. If she didn't know better she would say it was…romantic. The she hauled herself back from the dangerous path her thoughts had almost gone down. Archie was hardly the quick wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am type who settled for quick sex on diner floors. This was probably more similar to how it usually looked when he brought a woman home. How he was comfortable. She supposed it couldn't hurt to let him make the best of an awkward situation and she relaxed against him as he pulled her coat off her. She heard his sharp intake of breath and turned.

"What?" She panicked before realizing she'd forgotten she was supposed to expect that reaction. Under her coat was a set of matching deep red silk bra and panties with a garter belt in the same color holding up sheer, black, lace-topped stockings along with black kitten heels. His eyes had widened and she arched her back a little. "Right. I thought I'd make more of an effort this time." She looked around the candlelit room and suddenly wished she hadn't bothered. It made her feel cheap that when she said made an effort she meant sexy lingerie and when he said make an effort he meant candlelight and music.

"You look…incredible. Stunning." His voice sounded almost reverent and she recovered a little. Maybe she didn't look too cheap. If she did, Archie probably wouldn't look at her the way he was right now. His fingers gently ran along the top of the cup of the bra and she almost purred. Just one feather light touch and her knees were already weak. Just as gently he guided her backwards to the bed, pushing her down on it. Quickly she slithered up it and pulled him closer by his tie. Capturing his lips she arched under him to hurry things along, gain some relief from the insistent, aching, need. With impatient moves she tugged at his belt before he stopped her.

"Ruby, if you don't stop that this will be a lot quicker than I planned." She swallowed. Planned? Candles and music did indicate he had prepared for her coming over but had he imagined what he would do to her as she had imagined herself? Had he lain in his bed, thinking of her hands on him, her voice urging him on? Liquid heat rose inside her at the idea he would want her as she wanted him and she intensified her work on his belt. Gently he removed her hands and she stopped, breathing hard. Had he changed his mind? Did he realize this was a crazy idea and wanted her to leave?

"I guess I'll have to _make_ you take it slow." Slowly, giving her time to adjust and carefully looking her in the eye, he raised her hands above her head, holding them with one of his. With the other he tugged off his tie and as his intention dawned on her she smiled in approval. She'd never been especially into being tied up before but imagining what Archie could do to her vulnerable, welcoming body had her mind racing.

Giving him an almost imperceptible nod he wound his silk tie around her wrists, securing them to the wooden slats of his headboard. To try the sensation she pulled against the restraints and felt them tighten, the silky fabric ensuring it wouldn't rub her wrists sore. It wasn't uncomfortable and she relaxed slightly, meeting his hooded eyes where he hovered above her. He seemed transfixed by the image and she wondered if it was the first time he'd tried tying a woman up. The thought aroused her, being his first of something. Ensuring he would always remember. Relaxing completely against the soft sheets he seemed to wake from his staring and smiled shyly.

Slowly, as if he couldn't believe she was really there, he ran his hands down her bound arms, down her sides, over the gentle flare of her hips, before trailing the soft skin at the top of her stockings.

His warm hands rested on top of her thighs as he bent, his hot lips meeting the side of her neck. Nipping gently at the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder she arched under him. At her obvious approval he soothed the mark on the tender skin and Ruby felt warmth spread from that spot through her whole body. With a tug he brought her bra down, moving his lips to the exposed flesh. She expected his hot lips on her nipple – few men didn't go straight there - and reveled in the anticipation. But Archie just brushed his lips against the underside of the soft mound and little jolts of shock danced in her mind. Still supporting his weight on his arms above her he freed one hand and held a finger to her mouth. Realizing what he wanted she parted them in welcome. Using whatever skill she had picked up along the way she sucked the digit deeper and he groaned, his eyes fluttering shut. But almost quick enough to insult her skill he withdrew it and brought the wet fingertip to her breast. Lazily he drew circles around the nipple in an ever-closing spiral, stopping ever so often for her to wet the finger again. But he still hadn't touched her aching nipples.

Keening she arched up, trying desperately to make his fingers wander where she wanted them.  
"A…Archie…" But he didn't seem swayed by her plea as he started on her other breast. Ruby felt her nipples seeming to strain towards his hands, rock hard little nubs of almost painful need. She writhed, her unconscious seeking relief as urgently as her conscious.

Then he finally flicked his thumbs over the heated peaks and deep moan escaped her. The wetness on his fingers increased the friction and Ruby felt as if the two tips were attached by burning silken ropes to her core, as it all seemed to wind tighter, higher. Her head swum as his fingers built the sensation. Then he brought his lips to replace his fingers on one side, his tongue persistently worrying the nipple. Heat already pounding at her center seemed to beat heavier, hotter for every time his tongue touched the sensitive skin.

"Ah, Archie…I…I'm-" He left her breast to recapture her lips, his clever tongue plundering what she could give. His hand returned to her breast and rubbing small circles over the heated wet flesh Ruby was ready to beg, when he shifted slightly, one of his legs pushing against her heat.

The shock of it had her abruptly break the kiss as her head, seemingly on its own accord, threw itself back as her hips jerked desperately to find release. She felt the rough fabric of his tweed trousers through her lace panties made the friction unbearable. He could apparently see her need and pushed a bit harder as he pinched her nipple gently. Ruby felt the walls crash down around her as stars burst in front of her closed eyes and she she sucked in air in big greedy gulps.

All the tension gone she slumped back on the bed.

In surprise she met his eyes – she'd just come from second base and pressing herself against his leg.

"That was…"

"It looked pretty good from here."

"It was so great I can't see "pretty good" in the rearview mirror." He smiled and let his hands begin roam again.

"What are you doing?"

"Did I say I was done with you?" Ruby swallowed as the voice she had always loved now suddenly sounded sexy as hell. If they succeeded in going back to being friends again after this she doubted she'd be able to listen to him order scrambled eggs without getting turned on.

Gently but purposefully, as if here were committing her every feature to memory he ran his hands over her body. Ruby relaxed even further under ministrations – the man had golden hands. Imagine those on her feet after a long shift at the diner. Every knot she'd built up from the stress of this bizarre week dissipated under the searching hands.

As he reached her lower body she felt the embers of the earlier fire flicker to life and she was almost embarrassed to realize she was ready to go again. But only almost as it seemed he was too.

He'd still been wearing shirt and trousers and it felt delicious to have it rub over her but now he reached for the buttons on his slightly crumpled shirt. She wished she were the one doing it, splaying her hands over the exposed skin, feel his heartbeat race under her fingers. He pulled it off and her eyes travelled over his shape. He wasn't overly muscular like the men Ruby had usually gone for but he had broad shoulders and a sturdy build. He looked solid, safe. His skin was pale and looked almost delicate but the muscles under it looked anything but. She'd heard he sometimes helped Marco on his odd jobs and it had to be a regular thing – he didn't have the soft frame of someone who spent all his time in an office. She ached to touch, to explore but tonight was what Archie wanted.

He shifted slightly and she realized her ogling had made him nervous.

"I want to touch you."

"Not yet. I f I let you loose this won't last another two minutes." That much was true, she'd see to that. But if driving her slowly mental with want was what he wished that was his prerogative. She had agreed for this night to be what he wanted.

"So what do _you_ want?" He grinned and hooked his arms under her legs.

"More." He set his lips to the inside of her knee – a spot Ruby knew for sure was ticklish but as he ran his lips over the spot she just felt the need stir again. It was as if the skin in that spot was thinner, which normally made it tickle but now only made her wonder if he'd found direct access to her nerve-endings.

Slowly he trailed his lips up the inside of her thigh. Red held her breath. Was he going to…? The kind of man Ruby Lucas had fancied had rarely been interested in a mutually giving sexual relationship and hadn't wanted to do _that_. But she sensed no hesitation as he reached her tender folds. Still slightly shocked she met his eyes as he hooked his fingers under the waistband of her panties, pulling them off in one smooth move. Then his mouth was back, hovering over her center and Ruby stilled. She felt his breaths as they played over the heated flesh. Then his tongue parted her folds and struck gold. He didn't seem to suffer from the typical male's inability to locate a clit and his tongue lapped at hers gently as if he wanted her to get used to the sensation. She could get used to it all right.

The wet, soft heat enclosed over the sensitive bud, the rhythmical manipulations and his obvious enjoyment in the task had the need rapidly rising to the boiling point. But every time it threatened to boil over he'd pull back and pause slightly. He'd press kissed to her upper thigh until the moment passed. Then back to running his tongue from her opening to the aching nub, worrying it until she thought she might go mad.

"Archie, please!" As she felt the coil winding tighter again, about to spring free she ground out between pants, hoping the urgency wasn't lost on him "I need…more!" He seemed to take mercy on her and she felt the slight intrusion when he slipped two fingers inside her moist heat. If she'd been aware of anything besides Archie's tongue she might have been surprised just how wet she was or heard his groan when his fingers slipped in. As it were she only felt the blissful stretching as the pressure climbed even higher. He only managed to pump his fingers three times before the coil sprung free. This time her hips lifted off the bed completely as she bucked violently. And this time she got no respite.

The second she was still again Archie continued his ministrations and her hypersensitive clit would have cried if it could. In gratitude or desperation Red wasn't sure. Then his fingers picked up again, pushing her recently clamped down muscles apart. It wasn't painful but the friction was three times greater. Keening and moaning Ruby writhed, rocking her hips and arching her back to pull him deeper, to ease the need that had never been so sharp. Pleas started to fall from her lips.

Abruptly he stopped and pulled himself up, positioning himself at her entrance in one swift move. Seeing it properly now she realized why she'd been a bit sore that morning. Though no pornstar he possessed a fine specimen indeed. Eagerly she pushed him forward using her heels. But he held strong. Ever so slowly he pushed into her. She felt her insides struggle to accommodate him, the sense of fullness almost enough to bring her over the edge. Fully sheathed she felt him brush a strand of hair from her face, a tender expression on his face. It felt strangely intimate – more intimate than before and she realized she had never before looked anyone straight in the eye when they were inside her and she blushed. Jiminy's eyes were dark and focused and she could see in that moment there was no one but her in his mind. Not someone prettier or someone he might have feelings for but her. Just her.

He pulled almost all the way out before just as slowly entering her again.

"Archie," she pleaded.

"I get to decide, remember?" He bent to capture her lips again, setting a tortuously slow pace. After a little while Ruby couldn't deny its impact as she felt every stroke as if it were the first, remaining slightly unaccustomed to his girth, reveling the slight stretching sensation of being filled.

"Jiminy, let me touch you."

"I just want this to last if…" She heard unspoken question and her heart clenched a little. He was the sweetest man.

"Oh, I'm definitely coming back." The words seemed to set him free and with an impatient tug he freed her bound hands. She wound her arms tightly around him as he sped up, driving into her faster and faster. Running her hands across the expanse of his back, scraping her nails over his shoulders. Hearing him groan she was happy to be giving something back and repeated the motion. She wrapped her legs around him and felt him reach even deeper inside her, hitting a spot that at first had her uncomfortably wondering if he'd reached her throat before slipping over it again and again added another layer of pleasure to the towering bliss.

She felt the pressure build yet again and marveled at the sensation. Never before had she been able to come just from having a man move inside her but now as Jiminy hit that spot over and over she had to redefine science.

"Jiminy, I'm going to…" He didn't respond but captured her lips in an almost bruising kiss and sent her over the edge. His lips stole the moans form hers as his thrusts grew erratic. Mischievously she tightened her inner muscles and panting, he came.

Thoughtful as always he rolled off her to not crush her with his weight. Feeling completely sated she nudged off the heels she now noticed she was still wearing. Glancing over she saw Archie was still wearing his trousers, slung low on his hips.

"One of these days I will manage to get you completely naked." He smiled, propping his head on his arm.

"Is that what you're thinking about right now? I was hoping to tire you out."

"You did. For now." She resisted the urge to cuddle up to him. They weren't together. Cuddles were for couples. "Thank you, Archie."

"Thank _you_." She smirked at his tone. He looked completely beat. And come to think of it, so was she.

"Is it okay if I stay over? I mean, it is your fault my legs are shaking."

"Sure." With what looked like monumental effort he pulled the duvet up from the bottom of the bed. Ruby shifted and felt a furious blush creep up her cheeks.

"Uh…could I join you on your side?" She gestured to the rather large wet patch on the bed where her juices had trickled down. He on the other hand didn't look embarrassed in the slightest, in fact he looked rather proud. For a reply he just hooked his arm around her waist and pulled her close. Then it seemed he was out.

In spite of being tired herself Ruby laid awake for long time. She wasn't used to being held.

A/N: I think I'm happier with this chapter than the first but I am writing this for practice so please let me know what you think. If there's anything in particular you'd like to see, a place or the like, let me know. SD.


	3. Brief Encounters

A/N: Welcome back to my story. Thanks to all who've read so far and a big thank you to Kedi and DJ Rocca for your amazingly nice reviews, they made sure this chapter was ever written.

Stretching luxuriously, Ruby noted she felt really good. But why? Blinking in the bright sunlight that shone in through a window from an angle it didn't in her own room had her turning. She recognized the walls now, a quiet sea green in the morning light and burrowed deeper into a bed twice as comfortable as her second hand hotel bed.

The man was not a usual fixture of her own room either. He was lying on his back, uncovered save for a pair of boxers, as it seemed the covers had somehow wound themselves three times around her body.

Glancing at the clock she knew she should get up and go to work. But… Sliding her gaze over his next to naked form, awash with morning light she noted he looked good enough to eat. All defenseless and asleep. The wolf in her purred its approval. Besides, parts of him were awake and greeting the morning. The now familiar pounding started again. It would be as irresponsible to go to work and be snappish all day as it would to be a little late. In fact, she was doing everyone involved a service. Mind made up, Ruby shrugged off the covers to realize she was still clad in stockings and a garter belt. Oh well, she had to go home first to change anyway. Or rather wear something at all.

Gently she closed her hand over his erection and ran it up and down over the fabric, careful to not wake him up. Not until the trap closed and there was no turning back.

In a feat of patience she managed to ease down his underwear without waking him up. Seeing him in the bright morning light she was no less impressed than she had been the night before. Thinking of repaying last night's favor she slipped him into her mouth. He groaned in his sleep and she smiled around it. Still careful not to wake him she slid her tongue along the underside a few times. To her surprise it swelled further and just to see if she could she took as much of him as she could. She couldn't quite get all of it. That was rare indeed.

Focusing back on her task she listened to his unconscious sounds of approval finding out what seemed to work best. Her thoughts wandered to what was to come and having the same intrusion now occupying her mouth filling her, spreading her again. With a small moan of her own she pressed her thighs together, feeling wetness already pooled at her entrance. This heat business was at least making sure she didn't need to buy any lube. Meaning he could just slip into her…anytime, she could be ready for him to take her. Unconsciously her hips rolled and she decided it was her turn to pick again and she wanted him to take her, mount her, hard and fast – and now.

Her eyes lit upon the headboard. Those slats had been her friends before, when her hands had been tied to them, leaving her ready and vulnerable to Jiminy's skilled hands and tongue. Hovering above him she decided it was high time he woke up and put those hands to use.

"Archie." He woke with a start, already close to surfacing on his own. His eyes widened as he took in his own state and her wet lips, centimeters from his head. With a small smile, Ruby took him as deep as she could and a groan tore out of his throat as his head fell back. She loved the sense of power it gave her to have him at her mercy. Feeling his muscles tightening after just a few bobs of her head she withdrew.

"Payback." His eyes lost their glazed look and he raised an eyebrow.

"The way I remember it, you finished three times."

"After eons of waiting." She tilted her head. "Which was pretty amazing, I have to admit. And I will choose it again. But this time I need hard and…" she glanced at the alarm clock. "Really fast."

He glanced in the same direction.

"Damn, I have a session in…" he trailed off as she rolled off him, knelt and wrapped her hands around the headboard slats.

"That's why I said fast." She saw his eyes travel over her, kneeling and clad only in stockings and a garter belt, her arousal probably evident as she spread her legs. The man didn't stand a chance.

"I guess I can be a little late." Ruby didn't feel the slightest bit of remorse for taking up somebody's session. Not when Archie grabbed her by the hips and drove deep. The spot from yesterday, still sensitive now, responded as he hit it and Ruby pushed back against him eagerly. From behind he could reach even deeper and feeling a smidgen sore from last night added to the sensations tenfold.

Jiminy grabbed the headboard above her head and with the leverage his thrusts grew harder. The sensitive spot he'd rubbed against yesterday was taking a right pounding and Ruby knew she'd have to walk carefully. But it was worth it as stars burst in front of her eyes with every stroke, as he filled her to the very brim.

Letting go of the headboard with one had she was almost pushed through it before she found her balance again. Struggling slightly she worked her hand down under her body to find her clit. The swollen nub was aching for attention and Ruby swiveled her fingers over it in rapid movements. Rather roughly she worried it as Archie pounded the sensitive spot inside of her, his hard thrusts matching the rhythm of her fingers.

Sweat beaded down her back, her arms ached from preventing herself getting a concussion by being pushed into the headboard and her legs shook. But all of it faded compared to the sensation of Jiminy's girth spreading her, his fingers digging into her hips and her own ruthless fingers straining over her clit. The sensations flooded to her center, like a volcano, quaking and readying with the coming violence. The tension built and Ruby thought she might cry from the intensity as the need for release in her abdomen ached. Then her sweaty fingers slipped roughly over the sensitive bundle, setting the nerve-endings on fire, clamping her inner muscles and she erupted, a scream tearing from her lips.

Shrugging on her coat she saw Archie stand, pulling on his trousers and fumbling his glasses in place. He looked adorable, with his hair a mess and his trousers slung low. If her legs weren't shaking and her head ringing from the intensity of her previous orgasm she might have suggested round two. Instead she pulled the belt of her coat tight and stepped into her heels.

"Ruby?"

"Mmhm?" She'd lost her panties somewhere. They weren't in the bed, or under it and she couldn't find them on the floor. She couldn't walk home without her underwear. That was just ridiculous.

"I'm…I'm sorry. I just…"

"Sorry?" She straightened up. "Sorry for what?" Was he going to tell her he was definitely done with her neediness? He ran a hand through his hair, probably not knowing he was only messing it up more.

"For earlier. I was rough. I didn't mean to, I just woke up and you…I guess I was on auto-pilot still." She almost laughed. The man had given her the most powerful orgasm of her life and he was going to _apologize_ for it? He really was one in a million.

"I didn't hear anyone complain. In fact, the only screaming I heard was in ecstasy." Crossing the floor where his clothes were still strewn she put a hand to his cheek. "If you do something I don't like, Archie, I'll let you know. I'm no damsel in distress. I won't break. And you're a hell of a lover both on autopilot and manual, if I do say so myself." A grin broke out on his face. "Come by the diner later? The least I can do for you is to keep your energy levels up."

"Sure."

POV

"You're walking funny."

"It's the shoes, Granny." Which was partly true. "They're new." Suddenly she missed the old Ruby's layers of make-up that would hide the blush currently creeping up her cheeks.

"You've no sense. I've told you again and again, working in four inch heels…" Her Granny trailed off, an exasperated look on her face. They were six inches but she wouldn't tell her grandmother that either. And she hadn't worked in such high heels in a while now. But Archie was coming and she'd noted he liked her kitten heels enough to have her wear them the whole time they…what was it?

It was clearly not mating, no matter what biology books might say (if there were any on werewolf physiology, that is) and they weren't making love. They weren't having sex, that seemed too clinical a term. But they-

The little bell of the door interrupted her thoughts as Belle stepped into the diner in her own very high heels. Suddenly Ruby wondered if they shared a reason for wearing them. Then she wondered if she was going to be sick, thinking about Rumpelstiltskin's little fetishes.

"So you found someone to…help." Belle said under her breath as she sat down at the counter.

"How do you know? You can tell?"

"Don't panic, you just look great. Radiant." Belle's lilting voice smiled as she added, "And forgive me for saying…as if you'd had great morning sex." Oh great, she might as well wear a sign now.

"Can everyone tell?"

"I don't think so. They'll think you're just well-rested." Automatically Ruby put down a cup in front of Belle. "So, may I ask…Who…or, sorry, is it the one you thought would say no?"

"It is." She could say that much, Belle didn't know who she'd been considering at the Library. Red didn't know about Jiminy but she wasn't sure she wanted everyone in Storybrooke knowing they were now sleeping together. It was just for a week and she didn't want to complicate matters more. After this week they were going back to being friends and it'd be better if nobody knew they had been anything more. Easier, for both of them.

"Told you he wouldn't say no. He's a lucky man, Ruby."

POV

At that very moment Archie wasn't sure lucky was the term he'd use to describe how he felt about the situation he was currently in. He'd already been driving himself mad being able to perfectly recall the color of her eyes when the morning light slanted through the diner windows, when all was quiet and she was still mostly asleep on her feet. Those moments were the only ones he'd ever had alone with her in Storybrooke.

Before that, when they'd been friends in their own land, he could torture himself with the knowledge of every feature of her sleeping face. As a cricket he'd often sat on her pillow and talked into the night. But that was when he was a bug, a small insect. She'd hardly thought of him as a man then, since he hadn't been one. She couldn't have known then he was in love with her. He was a cricket and a conscience; he wasn't supposed to fall in love with a woman. Or fall in love at all, for that matter. Before her he hadn't even known he could.

Now he could add to that precious, yet torturous cache of memories, how her eyes clouded over when she was close to orgasm. What she tasted like. How she felt wrapped around him. He could barely work for the disconnected memories that interrupted him at every other moment. He'd looked out of the window for a moment and suddenly heard her frantic pleas for release as his tongue danced over her slick opening. He'd been with a patient when the image of her lips around his rock-hard length invaded his mind. He was starting to wonder if being in heat was contagious. He was no teenager for heaven's sake, he should have full control over his body by now. But she'd lit something inside him, a yearning he wished he didn't know he possessed.

The yearning for her. As a cricket or as a friend he had never stood a chance. Now he was suddenly her lover, but not her partner. It jarred his insides to be a friend and a provider of sating a need but missing the most elemental connection there should be between two people being intimate, at least in his world. He knew he meant a lot to her – as a friend, and he knew he was providing "satisfactory service" – he almost laughed at that one. But she still saw him as either a sexless friend or a bedfellow while she was, and always would be, the woman he wanted to be his for life.

With a sigh he let his head fall back against the armchair. Why couldn't he just enjoy this, see it as the closest thing he'd ever get? No, he had to analyze it to bits and feel his heart break every time she left, happy and relieved as he sunk deeper. At the same time as it hurt worse than he could ever have imagined, the time he had with her was so incredible it made it almost worth it. He'd never thought he had a voracious appetite when it came to sex, had never felt that bothered by it. And now he was suddenly a teenager again in terms of sex on the brain. Though it hurt his inside, his outside sure was happy and satisfied.

He turned a little in his chair to glance down at the Diner and saw Ruby step out. His throat went dry as he saw her stretch on the steps, her breasts straining against the thin fabric of her shirt. She must've forgotten to bring a jacket. Stepping carefully in – uh-oh – red heels, that made her legs seem even longer. He swallowed hard before his hand picked up his phone. Before his brain had registered what he was doing he had called her number. He saw her stop and fish her phone out of the front pocket of her apron. She smiled at the caller ID and looked up. He raised his hand in a wave where he stood by the window and she waved in return before answering the call.

"Hi."

"Hello." His voice seemed deeper, rustier than usual.

"You missed lunch." He'd had to. He couldn't go down and pretend things were normal. He also didn't think he could keep his eyes from wandering inappropriately, which would just cause problems.

"Yeah, sorry, I had to work."

"That's okay. So…" She tilted her head slightly as she looked up towards his office. "Did you call for any reason in particular? Take-out service perhaps?"

"Not exactly." He really shouldn't do this. It was unprofessional. It was crazy to encourage this. It was masochistic to drag his own heart through the gutter. It meant he could touch her again. "I was thinking you could come up and show me what I missed during lunch."

"Grilled cheese," she purred and he chuckled.

"Right."

"I could bring some. We could have a picnic on your floor. I'll just nip back into the diner and-"

"No." He surprised himself as he interrupted her. Here she was, basically proposing a date and all he wanted was shove her up his door and take her until she begged him to not stop. To never stop. "Later. Come up now." He saw her spin on her skinny heel and steered towards his office. Her voice was velvet when she answered,

"Hold that thought." The she hung up and he stood in his office, already painfully hard as he heard her climb the steps to the first floor.

"Pongo, out." He opened the door just as she reached the landing and with a longsuffering sigh his Dalmatian ambled out. He spared a tail thump for Red and she gave him a quick pat on the head as she came to meet him.

"Are you done for today?" she breathed and he nodded, unable to form a coherent sentence as he took in her flushed cheeks, bright eyes and swaying hips. Then he wound his hand in her hair and pulled her in for a kiss.

Shifting them by simply putting an arm around her waist and lifting her off her feet, carrying her through the door to his office and locking it with one hand. Then he fulfilled his recent dream and pushed her up against it. Catching on quickly she wound her arms tighter around his neck and brought her legs up around him. Those incredible, endless legs. The sharp heels of her shoes pressed into the small of his back, the discomfort reminding him this wasn't a dream, it was real. He was holding Red, the real one, not a mirage in the desert of the dry spell he had been in. Her insistent lips, her arms pulling him closer, the heat already emanating from her core, it was all real. All for him. Her hips rolled against his like a motor revving to go.

Bringing the arm not supporting their combined weight down to her thigh, he was eager to feel her again. Feel her heat, how ready she was for him, slip his fingers inside and hear her biting back a curse. Running his hand up her leg under her skirt he found nothing but the silk of her skin. No underwear. What little blood he'd kept in his head headed south.

"Did you forget something this morning?" He felt her laugh reverberate through his own ribcage.

"I wouldn't call it forget. It was a conscious decision. I thought they'd mostly just be in the way."

"Are you trying to kill me? How am I supposed to be able to look at you in the Diner knowing you're…you're…" Words failed him as a mental image of himself, bright red in the face and spluttering on his water as Ruby walked off, a satisfied smile on her face and her hips swaying entered his head.

"Actually I was…hoping you'd come to the Diner today." She shifted slightly to burrow her head into his shoulder, muffling her words slightly. "So I could…let you know. I…wanted you to…know, watch me, knowing." He could feel her cheeks burning through the thick fabric of his tweed jacket and realized that for all her bravado voicing your fantasies cost you, even the most self-confident person.

"Really?" It came out raspy as he tried to convey encouragement as well as not letting his voice break out of sheer want. She relaxed slightly again and her hips began grinding again in slow, searching circles.

"Yeah," she breathed, "I wanted your eyes on me as I worked, knowing I was ready for you anytime."

"Oh, god." He knew he should slow down, should be gentle since he'd been rough that morning but none of his normally sensible mind was making itself heard over the raging need pumping through his system. Since he couldn't hear it anyway he let it be drowned out and gave in to the desire, reaching for his zipper and Ruby purred.

"I kept glancing at the clock. When it got to lunch I was…so ready. I imagined you'd step in as usual and smile that way you do, when the corners of your eyes crinkle and-" Unable to wait any longer without risking just finishing then and there he pushed inside her, letting gravity help in sheathing him to the hilt. She gasped and her head hit the door. She didn't seem to care for any time to adjust as she pressed him closer, her legs like a vice around him as her muscles struggled to give her as much friction as possible.

"You'd sit at your normal table. I'd come over and tell you-ah! Tell you and see you pause, freeze. Your eyes would drop to my skirt and I'd walk away knowing you were watching me." She ground out the words between gasps as he spread her over and over in slow, hard thrusts.

"And then?" Her eyes were unseeing as he shifted her weight to reach her clit with his thumb. If she kept talking to him in that husky voice tortured by pleasure he knew he wouldn't last long. Her voice sent shivers down his back but what turned him on more was knowing he had a place in her fantasies, her deepest wants, secret to all but the two of them. He wanted to hear more, see how deep he'd gotten into her mind.

"Ah!...I'd…Oh, god…I'd take my break and sit next to you and you'd put your hand on my leg and I could feel it burning through the fabric of my skirt and I'd wish there was no one there so you could…bring your hand higher." He could picture it clearly himself. His hand travelling, higher and higher, striking gold.

"Go on. It didn't stop there." He had no idea where his courage came from. Possibly from seeing Ruby, blind and deaf to the world from the pleasure she got from getting taken against his office door while telling him how she'd fantasized about him all day. With a groan of his own he drove deeper.

"I'd lean back, spread my legs and-oh!...let you reach. You'd get that look in your eyes when you felt I was…so ready. Then you'd just – yes, yes, yes! Ah, lift me up on the table and push me down and – oh, god, I'm so close – push my skirt higher and…taste me." The arousing fantasy alone, told in her pleading voice would have been enough to bring him over but he could feel her tight around his cock, her breath hot on his neck as he filled her, pushed her against the door with ever thrust. Luckily everyone had left the building, as there could probably be no doubt about what was going on this side of the door. The rhythmic pounding had the door shaking on its hinges and the floor creaked as he braced for leverage.

"Is that what you want?" Pinning her to the door where they were joined he stilled and brushed a strand of hair form her forehead. Her cheeks were flushed, her muscles straining and her eyes wide and glazed with need, her lips wet and parted in exertion. "For me to take you on a table in the diner?" Her breath burst forward and her eyes fluttered. Did…? Did his voice have the same effect on her that hers had on him?

"Jiminy, I'd damn well want you to take me anywhere." It was hardly a confession of love but it hinted at the very least at a continued deeper relationship after this week was over. Relief washed over him that he wouldn't have to pretend this moment had never happened a week form now and he dropped his head to her shoulder.

"Today at lunch this is what I imagined. Taking you against the door, hear you moan for me as I drove into you." Delighted, he felt her hips rolling erratically and whimpers falling from her lips as he sped up again.

"More. Ah! Tell me more."

"Well, I did have a brief fantasy about you on that armchair. I'd come in the morning, find you naked and touching yourself in that chair, with on leg slung over the armrest." He felt her shudder and tighten like a bowstring pulled taut, her head hitting the door as her orgasm washed over her. He felt his own release gather and coil in his abdomen.

"Maybe I'll do that tomorrow." Her husky whisper brought him over and for a moment the world went dark. Nothing existed but the sensations centered on him and Red.

Straightened up and joined by Pongo, who gave him an all-too-knowing look as he angled his head, trudging past Ruby to pick up his leash. If capable he'd swear the dog would arch an eyebrow.

"Are you hungry?" Ruby had pulled down her skirt but her hair was a mess where the back of her head had rubbed against the door and her eyes sparkled.

"Starving." And no wonder, since he'd missed lunch.

"How about we go to the Diner and grab that grilled cheese?" At the moment it sounded like pure heaven to sit in the empty Diner and eat grilled cheese with the slightly mussed woman across from him.

"Absolutely. Pongo needs his walk first, though, and I can drop him at home."

"Of course. I'll go with you."

A/N: I hope you liked it! As usual, if there is anything in particular you'd like to see happening I'm open to suggestions. SD.


	4. A Diner Dalliance

A/N: Welcome ot the fourth installment of this story. I'd like to thank LaNaniuska, Kedi, sunthorn and DJ Rocca especially for their kind reviews and encouraging messages, and a thank you to all my other readers as well. Since I've had such great feedback I'm working on a little something for Christmas, so if you want to read that, check my author page or add me on author alert to find out when. But for now, enjoy this one!

Ruby loved the Diner at night, when all was quiet and clean. The smell of detergent and the faint trace of grilled hamburgers that always clung to the air might not be as pleasant as flowers but to her they meant home. In those few hours the Diner was closed it was all hers, her little kingdom. It was where she'd go when she'd fought with her grandmother, or gotten dumped by some guy. Just to sit in the dark and enjoy the silence and privacy, or to turn up the speakers as loud as she never could at the hotel, dancing around with all the lights on. It was hers after closing and she'd never really brought anyone there to share it before. But it didn't bother her as she'd thought it would to have Archie there. He seemed to understand what it meant somehow and didn't behave as if it was the Diner on a normal day, when he'd just go to the table. He came with her into the kitchen to help her to make grilled cheese. He made her laugh as he put on Granny's big, white kitchen apron. He surprised her when he moved around the kitchen with ease, pondering the contents of the fridge, deciding omelets would be better. He stirred her blood as he put the ingredients down to lift her up on the counter and kiss her senseless. Just as she was about to wrap her legs around him again and ask him to take her, not an hour after he just did, he moved away, calm as you please to continue cooking. He kept her guessing like some men never had, but could always be counted on, no matter what. It was a strange and deeply appealing mix. Safe but not boring, exciting but reliable. She could get used to having a man who fulfilled both the deep-sated needs she held for any potential partner around her. _Which doesn't mean you should_, she reminded herself. He might be gracious and enthusiastic for now about their current predicament but he would hardly picture her as a permanent fixture in his love life. Sex life. Life. At least not as anything but a friend.

He probably dreamed of meeting someone mature, someone smart who could discuss all the fancy books he kept around him, or who liked jazz and long walks. With a blonde bob haircut, who wore smart suits and low-heeled shoes. Who always looked smug because Jiminy was in her life. Working up towards intensely disliking a person that was purely fictional Ruby hauled her imagination back in line. So what if that was his type, he hadn't complained she didn't read Foucault or listened to big band jazz, had he? Why did she have to overdramatize everything? This was supposed to be fun. What was she getting morose about?

"Hey, Archie, do you like jazz?"

"Jazz?" He looked up from the mixing bowl. "Not particularly. Why?"

"No reason." She snatched a piece of bell pepper from the neat pile on the cutting board and popped it in her mouth. "What kind of music do you listen to?" He poured the mix into a pan and immediately a delicious scent rose in the room. Ruby suddenly realized she was starving.

"Well, a bit of a mix. Soul, blues, some old rock, classical music. What do you like?"

"Well, rock, mostly. But I think I can deal with all of the above. Do you have any music with you?"

"On my phone."

"Give it."

"My hands are dirty. It's in my pocket." Payback for the kiss, she decided as she slid off the counter, sauntering over to him. She saw his eyes drop to her hips and a smile stole over her features. Oh yes, revenge was sweet. Reaching him she purposely fumbled to find his pocket, fluttering her hands over the front of his thigh.

"Oh, here it is." He'd gone completely still, his hands frozen in front of him to not dirty her clothes. Sliding her hand onto the pocket with more pressure than necessary she caressed the skin of his leg, centimeters from where he probably wanted her hand. Even his breathing had stilled, like a deer caught in headlights as Ruby brushed her fingertips over him. Feeling him harden under her ministrations she quickly closed her hand over his phone and fished it out. "Found it." Then she stepped back, holding up like a trophy. "I'll go put something on."

Spinning on her heel and hurrying out, leaving him still frozen in place. If she was going to suffer the need for him like an addiction then she was at least going to try and make him want her half as much. And if last night had been any indication, what worked for him was music and candlelight. Scrolling through the music on his phone she found she approved of the names she recognized. Old in style, but classics for a reason. Picking a playlist she docked the phone to the Diner's speaker system and the smooth voice of Otis Redding filled the room. Lighting the candles from all tables, putting them on the counter and his usual table she thought she'd probably managed as well as could be done for atmosphere in a Diner.

"It looks nice." She turned to see him in the doorway, a plate in each hand.

"It's nice to be brought food in here for once."

"I bet. Why don't you have a seat?"

"I will, I'll just get us drinks." She grabbed the bottle of wine she'd opened earlier and returned to the table, pouring the merlot the Diner stocked and sitting. With the candlelight, the wine and the music softly humming in the background Ruby realized that her efforts to make him want her looked a lot like a date. But he didn't comment on it so slowly, she relaxed. She'd forgotten how fun it could be to talk to him. With the haze of need fogging her mind lately and everything that had been going on in Storybrooke she couldn't remember the last time she'd just _talked_ to him. It was exciting to get to know him on a new level. She knew him well as Jiminy Cricket but Archie Hopper had remained an unknown mostly, coming in to eat, greeting her in his friendly way but not really on her radar. Until time had started passing again. Then they'd been involved in the Sheriff's election together and become friends. When the curse lifted the two friendships had mixed but the finished product was yet to be determined.

Now, as he made her laugh in the empty Diner, over delicious omelets and wine, Ruby didn't think she'd forget how much she liked being with him again.

Plates cleared and the last of the wine in their glasses Ruby had switched to his side of the table, the desire that had been building through dinner as he met her eyes or touched her hand driving her to get closer. It was an almost sweet pain now, when she knew the need could be sated in a matter of minutes, the man next to her having more than proven that. All the blinds of the Diner were drawn and the candlelight blurred the edges, making it into a comforting haven of privacy. Comfortably woozy from the wine, on the verge of tipsiness but still unimpaired, Ruby enjoyed the sensation of loose limbs and warmth that accompanied her state. The need that usually grew needle-sharp was dulled and had turned into a blunter pounding, a rolling in her blood like waves on a shore. Ebbing and flowing the warmth spread and knowing her presence was affecting him as his was affecting her she edged closer, her thigh touching his. His hand found hers on the table and gently he drew patterns on the back of it. Slowly, he stroked it, back and forth, the simple gesture alone heightening the want. Her brain seemed to have shut down all nerves except for the ones he was touching and intensely aware of every point where his body touched hers she forced herself to sit still and not climb his lap, pull down his zipper and take him. It had to be the height of the heat if holding hands was now all the foreplay she needed. With a small whimper she twined their fingers together before moving her hand to her lap, setting it down on her knee. He angled his body slightly so he was sitting sideways in the booth, setting down his glass of wine.

"So this…dream you had today…" He shifted his hand and she felt it connect with the tender skin on the inside of her knee. His breath was hot on the side of her neck and his voice alone had her insides vibrating. "Do you want me to make it come true?" His warm hand moved higher and blood pounded at her core, and she could feel herself almost….opening, like a flower towards the sun.

"Yes," she breathed and spread her legs to grant him easier access. Still moving slowly he brought his hand higher, the heat of it against her building the anticipation. Then he reached her, his fingers gentle as he parted her folds, finding her clit easily. A gasp escaped her as she held on to the edge of the table for support to not simply melt into a puddle under it. The sensation of it, the well-worn leather of the booth, the Fornica surface of the table, the familiar smell of him mixing with that of the Diner was thrilling. Her brain knew from even the smallest detail exactly where she was and what she was doing. Knew the place for public while doing something private. Knowing she would have to waitress for him at this table, maybe as early as tomorrow, turned her on beyond belief. Remembering their secret as he greeted her and ordered, recalling his fingers playing over her folds, slipping inside her as she begged him for more.

With his fingers parting her she did just that. Begged.

"Not yet."

"Ah! This…again?"

"I like knowing I can bring you over more than once." Her knuckles whitened on the table edge as he slipped two fingers inside of her, his thumb continuing the firm circles on her clit.

"Sadist."

"Don't worry, you'll get it." When his voice deepened and got self-assured she really couldn't deny its impact on her. Knowing she was getting close she hooked her leg over his knee, letting go of the table to grab the back of the booth, both moves allowing him wider range of movement. He didn't waste it as his fingers slipped deeper, his other hand finding the buttons of her shirt. Making short work of it Ruby felt the cool air meet her heated flesh and arched under it. Taking advantage of her position Archie closed his mouth over her nipple, over the thin fabric of her cotton camisole. The fabric worried over it, adding sensations along with his already skilled tongue.

The need was now towering as the burning from her breast added to the pounding of want from her clit and the surging need from her entrance. Standing on the precipice she felt him scissor his fingers inside her as he pushed harder against her clit and nipped at her nipple with his teeth. Helplessly she tumbled over the edge and fell. And falling when you knew someone would catch you was thrilling.

Archie brought her close so the fabric of his jacket dampened her moans. Gently he withdrew his hand, shifting to lift her up and set her on his lap. Happily she ground against him, feeling his length push against her.

"Not quite yet," he whispered and tightened his grip on her, easily lifting her to set her down on the table, pushing her back until she was lying flat on her back on the table where he usually ate his breakfast. Shifting to get her leg over his shoulder he pulled her closer to the edge and bent over her. The position was so deliciously inappropriate, so laced with the tickling sense of doing something forbidden – with no actual risk of getting discovered – that Ruby gave herself to the moment completely. Trailing kisses to her inner thigh, his breaths tickling over her heated folds she squirmed, desperate to have his lips on her. Twining her hands in his hair she pushed him towards where the ache was the worst. He chuckled slightly at her impatience but obliged, his tongue finding her clit and sucking at it gently. Ruby's vision got blurry at the edges at the sensation, almost too much to bear for the already abused nerves. Just as she thought she might faint from it, he stopped, returning to gently lapping, soothing the intensity, bringing the familiar yearning back, the need for more, for pressure. As if he could read her thoughts he pushed a finger inside her wet heat, groaning at the sensation when her tight muscles sucked him deeper. In just a few strokes he added a second digit and returned his attentions to her clit, alternatively sucking at it gently and worrying it with his tongue.

She was sure her grip on his hair was now painful but couldn't relax her fingers enough to let go, she was frozen in place as she burned from the inside. The heat was rising, fuming, roaring through her head when he added a third finger. She was about to tense up, tell him she couldn't take that when all she felt was more delicious friction, no pain. Just that stretching sensation the wolf in her seemed to crave, the pressure sating the ever-present need. As he pushed deeper and sucked her clit into his mouth again the burning devoured her, the flames under her skin reaching her brain, wiping her mind of everything but the next to painful pleasure. Her hips bucked uncontrollably and she felt Archie wince as her fingers tightened in his hair.

Relaxing back again her vision returned and she noticed there was a crack in ceiling. They'd have to have that checked out. Then he shifted and her mind, hypersensitive to his presence focused back on the fact she had an attractive man between her legs, grinning up at her. He tugged at his tie and the small gesture signifying undressing had Ruby revving to go again. Growling in approval she sat up to help, pulling the tie loose and unbuttoning his shirt. He stood in the narrow space between the table and the bench, capturing her lips in a searing kiss. The smoke of the last release evaporated, giving way to the smoldering desire reawakening. Cupping his face she deepened the kiss, bringing him closer. Responding in kind he bent forward, leaning her backwards over the table and kissing the last thoughts out of her head. The throbbing at her core pulsed faster in time with her heartbeat as she swum in the sensations kissing him brought her. Drowning in desire with no wish to surface she arched against him and felt his straining erection press against her center. He gasped and broke the kiss, breathing hard as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"So, we fulfilled your dream…Did it end there?" It had, because she'd not wanted to turn herself on so she couldn't work, but she could play along.

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"Did you imagine I'd take you on this table?" She certainly was now.

"Yes."

"How?"

"However you want me." He sucked in a breath and swiftly stepped out of the booth, easily pulling her to sit with her legs off the short end of the table. Then he pushed her down again, undid his zipper and entered her. Even with the warm-up of three fingers Ruby was intensely aware of his girth, feeling him forcing her open. Reaching above her to brace her hands against the wall under the window, making sure she could meet him thrust for thrust with that as leverage she heard him moan. It had to be a pretty good view, seeing her stretched out, getting filled by him as her breasts strained against gravity from her raising her arms over her head. And she didn't begrudge him it in the slightest as she could see his wide shoulders, his muscles struggling and his face drawn in pleasure and concentration.

Then he hooked his arms under her knees and lifted her legs, spreading them wider as he supported their weight by holding on to the edge of the table. Pulling almost all the way out to sink back in, Ruby gasped. If she had been swimming before, she was flying now. Rising in the air, weightless and free, as he drove into her, harder and faster for every stroke. The angle allowed him to hit he spot she now loved, knowing it could bring her over just to be taken by him as long as he hit it. Closing her eyes to focus on the sensation she felt the storm building.

"Ruby," she opened her eyes again to meet his, almost taken aback by the intensity in them. "I want to feel you come around me." His voice rasped with the effort of speaking and she decided it was really the least she could do. Bringing one of her hands down she lifted her hips to reach better and he took on some of her weight, supporting it with his arms, lifting her lower back completely off the table. At that angle he didn't only hit the mark inside her, he was sliding over it, teasing her insides into a frenzy. The air she was floating though got charged, loaded with electricity and the storm was only a touch from breaking out. With a few slippery strokes of her sweaty fingers over her clit the violence of it gathered and burst. Lightning struck and thunder reverberated, shaking her to the very core. She almost felt the earth beneath her tremble. It could also be the table shaking from the abuse it was taking.

Still with the same intense look in his eyes he pulled her up and before she could say anything he'd flipped her as if she weighed nothing, bending her forwards over the table. Struggling to find foothold on the floor she felt the cold surface of the table against her breasts as he used his hand to hold both of hers trapped at the wrists above her head. With his other hand her parted her legs further and with a sigh of relief, drove back into her.

"Jiminy, I don't know if I can…" Her sentence died on her tongue as the wolf in her purred in delight at being dominated. Desire for another completion flared up in her stomach like fireworks, exploding in bursts of need of every color and variety. And only this, only he could sate it. "Oh, god." Burying her face against her outstretched arms she reveled in being had. Completely and unquestionably taken. "Oh, sweet mercy, yes!" Her inner muscles seemed to be vibrating against his cock, increasing the sumptuous friction and Jiminy leaned forwards over her, whispering,

"This is how I want to remember you tomorrow when I get here. Look over at this table and see you bent over it with me inside you." Her stomach clenched in absolute, aching, screaming need. Knowing he'd see her, skirt pushed up, breasts pressing against the table, bent over it with her legs spread, begging for him every time he entered the Diner, to know he'd want her had her reeling in pleasure. Her tender inner walls constricted at the image and she heard him groan and shift his hands to hold on to the table, thrusting deeper.

"Yes! Ah, Jiminy, I'm going to-" before she could finish the sentence the pounding at her core blocked out the rest of the world, gathering and exploding, building into a black hole of pleasure, pulling her through it.

Blinking in surprise she thought for a second she'd gone blind, that the stories Granny's grandmother had told of excess pleasuring was true. Then she realized she had her face buried between her arms, her hair in a curtain around her.

"You okay?" She heard him, a smile in his voice.

"Yes. Better than okay. Don't think I can move though." He chuckled and she felt his familiar touch, gently grasping her by the waist and pulling her up. Her legs felt like jelly and her skin felt as if it were golden. She was sure she was red-faced, her hair was probably a mess and she could have creases on her face from pressing her face against the table. But she didn't care one bit. She felt loose, relaxed and shiny. She grinned at him and he responded, his eyes twinkling merrily. And then it all added up – the attraction, the conversation, the amazing sex. She was in love with Jiminy. As Duffy crooned over the speakers Ruby stood frozen. Her clothes were crumpled, the wine was still making her head feel floaty and the candles fluttered while her heart slipped out of her chest and landed with a thud on the floor in front of him. Because he wasn't there to catch it. He wasn't meant to. He wasn't hers for the taking.

"Do you want to come sleep at mine? Just in case, I mean." She couldn't look him straight in the eyes, see the easy friendship in them. And she couldn't sleep at his house. Her heart cracked, as she knew if she didn't pull back she'd get it completely broken.

"No!" He looked crestfallen at her vehemence. "I mean, I…I want to clean this up tomorrow morning so I have to get up early. I'll just see you tomorrow, okay?" Slowly he picked up his jacket and tie from the booth, a strange look she couldn't place in his eyes.

"Of course. I'll just…head home then."

"Right. I'll catch you tomorrow." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, basically herding him out the door and shutting it with a snap. Leaning her hot forehead against the cold surface she muttered to herself,

"Oh, god, I'm so screwed."

A/N: Ta da! I know I keep going on and on about Archie's voice but if anyone has ever played any of the Mass Effect games you know it's a _really_ sexy voice. As usual, if you have any wishes, prompts or ideas, feel free to drop me a line. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you next time! S.D.


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